A Drop In The Ocean
by MaygenLynn
Summary: What if Annie Cresta went mad before she was even reaped into the Hunger Games? What if because of this, her twin sister Abbie "Lady" willingly takes her place? And what happens when said twin, meets the handsome and flirtatious Finnick Odair, who inevitably becomes her mentor? Friendships are made, feelings arise, but what happens when she enters the arena? Finnick/OC R
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay, I know I quite a few stories out that have been put on hiatus, and this story is specifically the reason for that. This idea wouldn't leave me alone, no matter how hard I tried, causing me to completely blank on my other stories. I used to have a Hunger Games story out, but it got taken down for some reason, so this isn't my first venture in the Hunger Games category. Though my first HG story was a Peeta/OC, but oh well. Anyway, I hope you all like this!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything Hunger Games related. Although owning Finnick, Peeta, Gale, and Cato would be pretty epic. Ah, well.

**A few things:**

- I totally ship Finnick and Annie. I really do. But I wanted to try something a little different since there aren't many Finnick/OC stories out there, and if you guys have been keeping up with my other stories, I'm a HUGE OC writer/fan.

- These games won't go in the same direction as Annie's games went obviously. My apologies if that disappoints anybody, but the whole district partner beheading is way too… Um… Horrible. I have other plans for the 70th games.

**-ADITO-**

_I heard them calling in the distance  
So I packed my things and ran  
Far away from all the trouble  
I had caused with my two hands_

_Alone we traveled on with nothing but a shadow_  
_We fled, far away_

_Hold your horses now_  
_(Sleep until the sun goes down)_  
_Through the woods we ran_  
_(Deep into the mountain sound)_  
_Hold your horses now_  
_(Sleep until the sun goes down)_  
_Through the woods we ran_

_**Mountain Sound – Of Monsters and Men**_

**-ADITO-**

Salty air.

To many, the smell is unpleasant. But to me, I feel that I can't breathe the smell in enough. The smell is familiar. Delightful. To me, the salty smell that lingers over the entire perimeter of District four is home. The smell grows even stronger over the ocean where I spend most of my days on a fishing boat with my older brother and our small team, doing our share of work for the major company who stores, preps, and sells the fish to the Capitol, and the people of our district who can afford it.

Today, the salty air is more humid than usual, making me and the team of men I work with want to get our day's work done quicker than usual.

"That net looks ready to pull out," Delta Coyle, our team's leader calls to us. "Mika, you and Lady take care of it," Delta says, throwing me a look, which I nod to without hesitation. It isn't usual for a girl in our district to land a job actually working on the boats. Usually, the women work in the company, or stay home with their families. I'm actually one of four girls who managed to get a job on the boats, but not without the help of my brother who had been working on this team since he was sixteen. I walk over to the net on the other side of the large boat where Mika is waiting, and grab onto one side while he grabs the other.

"Ready?" he asks, and I nod, surely, and Mika nods back. Together, Mika and I pull the net up from the water, struggling slightly under the weight of the impressive amount of fish caught in it.

"Nice," I comment, looking at the fish in the net while wiping the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand.

"You said it," Delta says, showing up behind me and placing a large hand on my shoulder. "I think that almost brings us to our quota for the day. You two can go," he says to Mika and I, who silently thrust our fists in the air and high five when he turns his back to us. The two of us walk over to where the long boat is chained to the boat where I find my brother Reed waiting for us.

"I'm gonna be late today. I'm gonna go see Lana," Reed says, as Mika climbs into the boat, and I nod with a small smile. Lana and Reed had been dating for a couple of months now, and I couldn't be happier. Lana is a genuinely nice woman with red hair, pale skin that refuses to tan no matter how much time she spends in the sun, and dark blue eyes. The action that won my approval of her, however, is while she was visiting; Annie tripped and cut her hand. Nothing major, but the gash was pretty deep, and Annie can't stand the sight of blood, so she began to panic. Lana immediately sprang into action and fixed up Annie's hand by the time I managed to calm her down. Since that day, I've had no problems with Lana, and actually encourage Reed to continue dating her.

"Okay. I'll save you some dinner," I say, taking Mika's offered hand and climbing into the boat.

"Make sure you do," he says with a grin as he begins to lower the boat for us. Mika and I each grab an oar when the boat reaches the water and we begin to paddle towards the shoreline.

"How's Annie doing?" Mika asks, making conversation.

"Same as always. Quiet, but fine," I say with a small shrug. "She's been doing more though, and hasn't had as many episodes as normal lately."

"That's good," Mika says, and I nod. "I'm glad," he says, and we're silent for a few moments. "Reaping day in a few days," he says casually, and I flinch slightly.

"Nice topic," I mutter with an eye roll.

"Hey, you only have one more year after this one," he says, attempting to be comforting, and I snort slightly.

"Yeah? So what? There's two reapings left for Annie's name to possibly be called," I say, with a frown.

"Or yours," Mika adds, raising his eyebrows, and I glare at him.

"Thanks for the reminder, Mika!" I say in a falsely cheerful voice, as we reach the shore.

"Oh, you know you and Annie will be fine," Mika says as we climb out of the boat, and pull it farther onto the beach.

"Don't say things like that," I say quickly, pointing a finger at him. "You'll jinx us, and I'll have to punch you in the throat."

"Yeah, yeah. Go home to your sister," Mika says in an amused voice, and I turn on my heel and make my way off the beach. As I make my way home, I suddenly switch directions and head towards the market. As I walk, I have to force myself to ignore the whispers of the teenagers and young adults referring to me as "Crazy Annie's sister". When I arrive at the market, I casually purchase a couple of fish and a loaf of bread. I patiently wait as a woman behind the counter wraps the fish in paper and ties it with a piece of twine before handing it to me.

"Thank you," I say to the woman before putting the fish in my bag, next to the bread as I leave the market. I accidentally bump into somebody during my moments of distraction as I leave the market, but decide to avoid looking at the person to prevent a conversation since I'm trying to go home to Annie. "Sorry," I call over my shoulder as I walk in the direction of home. After a few minutes, I finally arrive home and push the front door open. "Annie?" I call as I walk to the kitchen, and frown when I don't hear my twin's footsteps echoing down the hallway. I place the fish in the cooler and leave the kitchen in search of Annie, who I find sitting on one of the chair in the living room, tying together a variety of different flowers into a bouquet with a piece of white string. "That's really pretty, Annie-girl."

Annie jumps and drops the bouquet, startled that I'm even here. It's clear to me that she'd been off in her own world when I came home and she didn't hear me call her name. I send her an apologetic smile as she takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. Annie stares at me for a few moments before picking the bouquet up off of the floor where she dropped it and she hands it to me. She points to me and nods when I take it, and I know immediately that she had made the arrangement of flowers for me.

"Well, thank you very much," I say with a smile. "What's the occasion?"

Annie merely shrugs in reply before blinking and looking down at her hands. I smile softly at her before turning on my heel and walking down the hallway to the bedroom I share with Annie and I place the flowers down on my bed before setting my bag next to it. I quickly change out of my sweaty clothes into a set of clean shorts and a shirt before walking back into the living room. I frown when I see Annie absentmindedly scratching her arm while staring blankly ahead. I move closer to her and crouch in front of her before grabbing her hand and squeezing it softly, breaking her out of whatever trance she was in. She blinks a few times before looking at me with confusion and she looks down at her arm. Annie pulls her hand out of mine and traces the red scratches with her finger tips.

"Did you eat anything today?" I ask, rising to my feet, and looking at my twin. My eyebrows crease when she subtly shakes her head, knowing that I would be upset. I bite my lower lip gently and take a small breath through my nose. "Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat if you want," I suggest, and Annie shakes her head, and I nod. "Okay. But you're going to eat supper," I say, not leaving any room for arguments, and Annie nods in agreement. I watch as Annie rises from her seat and walks to our bedroom. She's only in there for a few moments before she comes back with her notepad and a pen in her hand. She quickly scribbles something on the last page of the notepad and hands it to me.

'Beach?' she asks in writing, and I smile slightly. I think for a few moments before shrugging.

"We've still got a little time before I planned to start cooking supper, so sure," I say with a smile, and Annie grins before taking my hand and pulling me towards the door. My smile widens at Annie's eagerness which clearly shows that she's had a good day. I pull the door shut behind me as we exit the house, and Annie leads the way to the beach, her hand firmly locked in mine. We arrive at the beach in record time, due to Annie's excitement, and upon arrival, Annie immediately pulls her shoes off and walks into the water. She walks through the water until it reaches her mid-calf, and I grin before taking off my own shoes and join her. After a few minutes of silence I look over at Annie who is looking out at the water with a blank expression on her face, lost in her own world again, so I reach over and grab her hand gently, bringing her back to me and I grin at her slightly when she looks at me.

"So, did you have a good day today?" I ask, and she nods before she smiles widely and her body shakes with silent giggles. I smile and look at the slightly shallow water, only to see a horde of guppies swimming around us, occasionally brushing against us. I let out a noise of disapproval when I see a jellyfish nearby, feeding on some of the guppies, and I instantly grab Annie's wrist and pull her out of the water. She looks at me, puzzled, and I look at her apologetically. "There was a jellyfish close to us," I say and she nods, understandingly. I take a seat in the sand, and she sits next to me. I glance at her and see her digging her hand in the sand, and she pulls a small seashell out before looking it over. "That's a good looking shell. We could find some more like it and make a necklace out of them," I suggest, and Annie smiles before nodding and rising to her feet before walking towards the water, a few feet from where we were before to avoid any jellyfish. I watch as Annie digs through the sand in the shallow water, occasionally pulling out more shells, and tossing them behind her onto the dry sand.

I can't help but let a small smile slip onto my face as I watch my sister, grateful that she's had a good day today. I dread the days where I come home from work to find Annie sitting on the floor of the kitchen, or the living room, or our bedroom with her arms, hands, or legs scratched up, sometimes bleeding. Her episodes like that have gotten better and less frequent over the years, much to my and Reed's relief, but she still has her days.

I'm brought out of my thoughts when I hear a small hiss of pain, and I look at Annie, only to find her walking out of the water, gripping her hand with a pained grimace on her pretty face. I quickly stand jog over to her.

"Are you alright?" I ask, taking her injured hand in mine, and I wince sympathetically when I see a bright red line on the back of her hand, signifying that she had been stung by a jellyfish. "Ouch. It got you good didn't it? Well, at least it was a small one."

'Medicine?' she mouths since she doesn't have her notepad, and I nod.

"Yeah, I think we still have some cream for stings," I say, and let go of her hand. I move towards our shoes, and I hear Annie follow me. Together, we put on our shoes and leave the beach. "We can come back for the shells after supper," I suggest as we walk home, and Annie nods quickly with a small grin. When we arrive back at home, we go inside and I direct Annie to the bedroom, and she takes a seat on her bed while I go into the bathroom, and find a jar of the ointment for jellyfish stings. I open the jar and find that it's still one-third of the way full. I go back to the bedroom and take a seat next to Annie before dipping my index finger into the jar and scooping up a bit of the cream with it. I carefully rub it on the sting and I hear Annie let out a small quiet sigh of relief.

"Better?" I ask, and she nods. "I'm gonna start supper. Wanna help or keep me company?" I offer and she nods. I stand, and offer her my hand, which she takes without hesitation and I lead her into the kitchen. I reach into the cooler and take out the three fish I purchased before setting them on the counter and grabbing a small knife. I take out a large cutting board and look at Annie who is seated on one of the chairs, watching me. "I got catfish for us. Sound good?" I ask and she smiles with approval. I smile back before I set to work on preparing the fish to be cooked. After the three fish are all prepped and ready, I clean my hands before looking at Annie and nodding to the loaf of bread on the other side of the stove. "Wanna slice that bread for me?" I ask, and she rises from her seat, happy to help.

Half an hour later, Annie and I are sitting at the kitchen table, eating our dinner. I look at Annie when I literally feel her stare on me, and she glances at Reed's empty chair.

"He's visiting Lana. He'll be home later," I say casually, and Annie nods. "So what did you do today?" I ask, and Annie grins before nodding to the window in the kitchen, over looking the garden out back. "You're still doing a great job with it."

'Need different bulbs,' Annie mouths when I look at her and I nod.

"I'll come by after work tomorrow, and we can go to the market together. You can pick out the ones you want," I say, and she nods before going back to her food. "I want you to eat something while I'm gone tomorrow, okay? You'll make yourself sick if you only eat once a day," I say and she looks at me for a few moments before nodding. "Promise?" I ask, and she extends her arm across the table, holding her pinky out, making me grin. I hook my pinky around hers and we each squeeze lightly, a silent way of making promises that we learned when we were children. "Thank you," I say before taking a bite of bread, and Annie smiles.

'You're welcome,' she mouths.

After we eat, we head back to the beach so that Annie can collect her shells, which she puts into the pocket of her skirt. Afterwards, we immediately return home to avoid being cornered by any Peacekeepers. A couple of hours later, the sun has completely set, and Reed walks through the door. I look up at him from my spot on the couch next to Annie, and smile at him when he enters the living room.

Currently, Annie and I are working together; poking holes through parts of the seashells so we can thread them on a string later on to make a necklace, which Annie decided would be for Lana.

"Working hard?" Reed asks, and Annie smiles at him before nodding and looking back at her work. Reed locks eyes with me, and sends the usual questioning look, asking whether or not Annie had a good day. I nod to the look, and he grins. "What are my favorite twins working on?" he asks.

"A necklace for Lana," I answer for the both of us. "We were hoping you could give it to her tomorrow."

"I was kind of gonna hang around here tomorrow," Reed says, sending Annie and I a specific look that I immediately recognize. The day after tomorrow is reaping day. I look sharply at Annie when her breathing becomes slightly labored and I grip her hand in mine and squeeze it comfortingly. "But yeah, I can stop by her house after work and drop it off if you guys want," Reed says quickly, and I nod with a smile.

"Let's finish this then, okay?" I ask, looking at Annie who is still coming down from her slight panic attack. Her green eyes lock onto my blue ones and she nods slightly before picking up one of the last shells that haven't been prepped yet. I watch my twin for a few moments before copying her actions.

**-ADITO-**

For years, no one ever believed that Annie and I were twins, for the typical scenario when it came to twin girls would be for the two girls to be identical. That isn't the case for Annie and I. Annie and I are fraternal twins which basically means that while we're twin sisters, we don't look alike. While Annie and I share a few of the same features, such as our height, and hair color, we look nearly completely different. I favor our mother in looks with our father's blue eyes, while Annie favors our father with our mother's green eyes.

I dwell on these thoughts while I look at my sister's sleeping form on the opposite side of the couch from me. I think back to earlier when Reed subtly mentioned reaping day, and my hands clench into fists when I think of the possibility of Annie's name being drawn from that large glass bowl. It's a slim chance, but there's still a chance.

'Stop it,' I mentally scold myself. 'Its not gonna happen. Not to Annie. Not to our family.'

I glance away from Annie, who is in a deep sleep, to Reed who is standing in the doorway of the living room.

"Ready?" he asks, and I nod before quietly rising from the couch and slipping on my shoes. Every other night since Annie and I turned twelve, we'd been secretly training, just in case one of us unfortunately had our name drawn from the reaping bowl. It started with our father training us, the same way he would train Reed, but a year later when he passed away, Reed took over our training, which eventually he'd only been training me since Annie… Since Annie became slightly… Unbalanced.

I can't exactly blame Annie, though.

Exactly a month after Annie and I turned thirteen, our father was killed in a fishing accident. After all these years, I still don't know exactly what happened, and frankly, I don't want to. Months after our father's death, our mother couldn't cope with the grief, and she took her own life. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to our mother, Annie entered the room mere seconds before it happened, and she witnessed the entire thing.

Logically thinking, Annie's reaction, to me, is completely normal for her.

All our lives, Annie had always been more sensitive than a normal person. She'd always been wary of all things violent, and it was very obvious during the training with our father. It was even more obvious when it came time for the Games, and though it was mandatory to watch, she'd spend the majority of the games with her head tucked into somebody's side, with her eyes shut tightly and her hands pressed firmly over her ears. Witnessing a death in person, the death of our mother, no less, was bound to have an extremely negative effect on her.

The aftermath was… Devastating to put it lightly.

That day, Reed had taken me out on a boat ride after a lot of begging and pleading. Personally, I think he only agreed just to shut me up. We asked Annie to come along as well, but she declined, not wanting to leave our mother on her own. When Reed and I returned, we found Annie sitting on the floor next to the front door with her knees pressed to her chest, and her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her expression was blank, and she was staring ahead at nothing in particular. I remember kneeling down in front of her, literally shaking her to try to get her attention, while Reed went in search for our mother. My usually lively sister's unusual behavior scared the hell out of me, and my fear only grew when I heard Reed's anguished voice shout 'mom'.

I remember springing to my feet and running faster than I'd ever run before. Reed's voice had come from the kitchen and once I arrived, and saw our mother's limp body hanging from the ceiling, I remember letting out one of the most horrifying screams I'd ever heard come out of another human being.

Annie hadn't spoken a word since our mother's death, and to metaphorically add insult to injury, she'd begun to have certain 'episodes' in which she'd 'space out' and literally claw at her arms, or hands, or legs until they bled. Annie had always had a bit of a phobia of blood, so when she'd finally come to her senses, she'd have a silent panic attack until Reed and I cleaned her up completely.

Thankfully over the years, these episodes have been appearing less and less, and Reed and I are hoping that eventually they'll stop completely, and that eventually, Annie will actually speak to us again.

But for now, we'll take what we can get with our sister.

And no matter what, we'll always protect her.

**-ADITO-**

The next day after work, I head home before going to the market like I told Annie that I would. When I find Annie in the house, she smiles at me and I smile back at the small signal of a good day. I quickly change out of the clothes I wore for work, into something clean, and almost immediately afterwards, Annie and I leave the house and walk to the market. When we arrive, Annie eagerly drags me to the stand that sells seeds and bulbs for flowers. I smile at her as she mulls over a few choices, before I look over my shoulder at a group of girls who are all staring at Annie and I, whispering lowly to each other.

I send the group a fiercely heated glare which makes them all look away immediately, and I wipe the glare from my face before Annie sees it. Annie finally makes her decision, picking three different types of bulbs, which I gladly pay for.

"I saw that you're on the last page of your notepad. Do you want a new one?" I ask, and Annie nods immediately. I take the packages of flower bulbs from her and place them in my bag before leading her to a different stand, and purchasing a new notepad for her. As we walk around the market, shopping for food to make for supper, Annie hears the cruel nickname that people around the district call her, and her eyes become glued to her feet, which makes me clench my fists in anger. "Ignore them, Annie-girl. They're just stupid people who don't know anything about you," I say, and I frown when Annie doesn't look up from her shoes, so I stop walking, and I grasp her arm, making her halt as well. "Look at me," I say sternly, and she slowly pries her eyes away from her feet, and her green eyes meet my blue ones. "You are not crazy. You know that, right?" I ask, and she merely stares at me, her eyes sad. "Have I ever lied to you before, Annie?" I ask.

Annie shakes her head 'no' in response.

"Exactly. And I would never lie to you. Ever. So believe me when I tell you that you aren't crazy, and you never have been. Alright?" I ask, and she hesitates for a few moments before finally nodding, which makes me smile. "Don't ever listen to a thing they say. I don't," I say, and she nods again as we make our way away from the market after purchasing our selections for dinner. When we return home, we find Reed already there waiting for us with a small smile. He tells Annie and me that Lana loves the necklace and she sends her thanks which makes us smile. The rest of the night goes smoothly, and after Annie goes to sleep, Reed takes me out to train again, during which I push myself to my full potential. When we return home, Reed heads to bed, and I follow his example, shutting mine and Annie's bedroom door behind me.

The next morning, I slowly wake up, squinting at the sun's harsh light that shines through the window in mine and Annie's bedroom. I groan in displeasure before pulling my quilt over my head when I realize what day it is. The only plus that ever comes out of reaping day, is the fact that I don't have to go to work. I blink when I hear the sound of the bedroom door opening and peek over the top of the quilt, only to groan in slight annoyance when I see Reed standing in the doorway, looking at me sympathetically. He slowly walks over to Annie's bed and gently lays a hand on her shoulder, and shakes her gently.

"Time to wake up, Annie-girl," he says softly, and I watch as Annie slowly opens her eyes, and looks up at him. "Time to start getting ready girls," he says gently before walking out of our bedroom. Annie and I continue to lie in bed, staring at each other for a few moments before I kick the quilt off of myself and swing my legs over the edge of my bed. I yawn widely before stretching my arms over my head while standing.

"You wanna take a bath first?" I ask, looking at her questioningly, and she shakes her head before pointing to me. I nod slightly before running my fingers through my hair. "I'll be quick," I say, and Annie nods before climbing out of bed. It takes a full ten minutes to heat up enough water for my bath, and once in the tub, I quickly wash my hair and body before rinsing off. Once finished, I wrap myself in a towel and go to the bedroom where I see that Annie had already laid a dress out for me. I pick up the black dress and immediately pull it on before walking out of the bedroom.

About an hour later, Annie and I are in our bedroom, and I'm running a brush through her now dry hair. My forehead creases slightly when Annie shakily grabs her notepad and pen and scribbles something quickly.

'What if it's me?' she asks, and I shake my head.

"Don't think like that, Annie," I say firmly before turning her around to face me before pulling her hair over one of her shoulders and quickly braiding it into a fishtail braid. I opt to leave my hair in its usual natural curls which cascade over my shoulders and down my back, barely reaching my waist. I frown slightly when Annie shakily scribbles on her notepad again, and she turns the pad so that I can read it.

'I'd die,' she writes, and I swallow hard before shaking my head.

"That. Will. _Never. _Happen," I say surely, before shaking my head again. "You know how I know that?" I ask, and she shakes her head. "Because I will _**never **_let you step foot in that arena. Ever," I say seriously, and Annie begins to shake her head while her eyes widen, and I stop her. "No. You'll be fine, do you hear me?" I ask, and her breathing becomes slightly labored. "Shh," I whisper while wrapping my arms around her, and rubbing her back softly. "I promise you, Annie, you're gonna be alright," I say softly to her, and the both of us jump when the loud familiar whistle blows, signaling for all the potential tributes to congregate in front of the Justice Building for the reaping. When the whistle stops, Annie begins trembling violently in my arms and her breathing becomes heavier. I shake my head and quickly pull away before placing my hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look into my eyes. "Annie, hey sweetie look at me," I say gently. "Breathe with me," I say, taking a few deep visible breaths, and slowly she begins to calm down and copy my breaths. After Annie finally gets her breathing under control, I pull her into my arms again and hold onto her for a few moments. "We have to go," I whisper and pull away.

She looks at me for a few moments before slowly nodding. I smile slightly before taking her hand and leading the way out of our bedroom. We walk through the living room and to the front door where Reed is waiting, and he pulls both of us into a tight embrace before we exit the house, just like he does every year.

"I'll see you two after the reaping, okay?" he asks, and we both nod before clutching onto each other's hands tightly. Together, Annie and I numbly make our way to the Justice Building, stopping only to sign in for the reaping. After the Peacekeeper takes my blood and scans it, she gestures for me to go ahead, so I take a few steps away before pausing, and turning to face Annie who keeps her eyes solely on me. She closes her eyes tightly when the Peacekeeper takes her blood and presses it to the paper.

"Go ahead," the Peacekeeper says, and Annie quickly makes her way to me before grabbing onto my hand tightly. I give her a comforting smile before leading the way to the other seventeen year old girls.

"Remember, you're gonna be okay," I whisper to her as we take our place, and Annie nods tightly. Minutes later, the doors to the Justice building open and everybody watches as the mayor of our district walks out and takes a seat in one of the available chairs, followed by Mags Silversea, the victor of the 11th Hunger Games, and Finnick Odair, the victor of the 65th Hunger Games. After the mayor and the two previous victors dutifully take their seats, the Capitol escort for District 4, Plumb Verona, steps onto the stage.

This year, the color of Plumb's hair and makeup lives up to her namesake, all of which are a rich purple. I narrow my eyes slightly as she smiles happily out at the crowd of children who are potential tributes who will be forced to kill other children while the entire country watches. What absolutely makes me sick about the entire thing is that the people of the Capitol watch the games for entertainment. They love the games, and they bet on them for kicks. It's disgusting.

We all listen as Plumb makes her usual welcoming speech before playing the same video from the Capitol that they play every single year. The video which I hardly pay any attention to. Instead, I focus my attention on keeping my sister calm by rubbing her back in soothing circles. When the video ends, we all turn our attention back to Plumb who steps closer to the microphone.

"Wasn't that just lovely?" she asks in her Capitol accent with a large smile. "Now, as usual, ladies first," she says, before stepping away from the microphone and to the large glass bowl. My jaw clenches tightly and I reach out and grip Annie's hand in mine, and I subtly wince at how hard she grips my hand. Every girl in the crowd watches as Plumb reaches into the bowl and takes out a slip of paper. The slip of paper which holds the name of the unlucky girl who has been selected to be the female tribute for the 70th Hunger Games. She takes, seemingly slow, steps back to the microphone before sending the crowd a smile, and she opens the slip of paper before taking a deep breath.

"Annie Cresta!" she announces cheerfully, unaware of the devastation she just brought upon my family.

Four years ago is the last time I ever heard my twin say a word. 'See you soon,' are the last words I ever heard from her. Four years ago is the absolute very last time I've ever heard Annie make even the smallest sound.

It really is a shame that the first thing I hear from my twin after all this time is a truly horrifying, ear shattering, blood curdling scream.

**-ADITO-**

**A/N: **I know that this chapter is in first person, but I'm just gonna say now, I don't see them all being that way. I've already started writing the second chapter and it's in 3rd person because that's the point of view that I'm most comfortable writing in. Anyway, I hope you all liked this, and will continue to read it!

**-I've started a Polyvore collection for this story already. Link is on my profile! Go check it out!**

**Questions?**

**Comments?  
Suggestions?**

**Leave them in a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything Hunger Games related. Although owning Finnick, Peeta, Gale, and Cato would be pretty epic. Ah, well.

**Review Replies:**

**grapejuice101****: **Thank you for being my first review for this story! It means a lot! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

**Lucy Greenhill****: **Ahh, I'm glad you like it so far! Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

**converselover20204****: **I know, I wish there were more. That's why I wrote one! Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

**Aliyaahhhh****: **Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

**I Am Alys****: **Yeah, I realized that after I read your review. Whoops! Don't worry I elaborated on it in this chapter! I hope that you don't mind the change in the Hunger Games details! Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

**harronhermy****: **I'm glad you think so! It took a lot of thinking and planning for Annie's mindset. Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

**flippingthroughthepages****: **Thank you so much for the fantastic review! I really hope you like this chapter as much as the last one, and I hope you enjoy my third person writing.

**Frostivy****: **I… I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. I'm a tad confused.

**-ADITO-**

_Hello world  
Hope you're listening  
Forgive me if I'm young  
For speaking out of turn  
There's someone I've been missing  
I think that they could be  
The better half of me  
They're in the wrong place trying to make it right  
But I'm tired of justifying  
So I say to you.._

_Come home_  
_Come home_

_**Come Home - OneRepublic**_

**-ADITO-**

"Annie Cresta!" Plumb Verona's voice chirps happily into the microphone. At first, the name doesn't register in Abbie's mind. She's in so much denial, that she actually manages to block out Annie's terrified screams. She doesn't realize that Annie had dropped her hand, and is now crouched down on the ground with her eyes clenched shut tightly, and her hands pressed over her ears. Abbie simply keeps her wide eyes fixated straight ahead, staring blankly at the girls in front of her that had turned around to stare at her twin.

After a few moments that feel like hours to Abbie, she blinks out of her trance-like state, and she clenches her fists shut when Annie's screams finally reach her ears. She looks to her left and she shakes her head quickly when she sees two Peacekeepers approaching. Abbie quickly drops to her knees in front of Annie and wraps her arms around her shoulders before pulling Annie closer to her.

"Shh, shh," Abbie whispers while stroking the top of Annie's hair. "Annie, hey, hey, hey, listen to me!" she says firmly, and Annie's screams slowly turn to loud, body wracking sobs. "Remember what I said before we left the house?" Abbie asks loudly before pulling away from Annie slightly, and taking her face in her hands. "Annie, look at me," Abbie commands, and Annie's eyes snap open but they immediately flash in the direction of the quickly approaching Peacekeepers, who now know exactly who Annie is due to her screams, and somebody pointing out who she is. "No! Annie you look at me, not at them!" Abbie nearly shouts, and Annie's green eyes lock on to Abby's blue orbs. "Do you remember what I said before we left the house?"

Abbie nods when Annie nods slightly.

"That's right, and I've never lied to you before, have I?" Abbie asks, and Annie continues to sob as she shakes her head. "That's right. You're not going, Annie, I won't let them take you away," Abbie assures her, but she doesn't seem to be listening. A split second later, two Peacekeepers grab both of Abbie's arms while another two grab onto Annie, whose screams immediately, once again, litter the air. "No, let her go!" Abby screams, while she struggles against the vice grips of the two Peacekeepers. She violently thrashes in their grips as Annie is pulled away. "Get off of me," Abbie grits out. "Let go of me! Annie!" Abbie shouts.

"Abbie!" Annie screams, and Abbie's body stills for only a moment when she hears Annie scream her name before she begins to struggle against the Peacekeepers' grips again, this time, more aggressively.

"Let go of her! Annie!" Abbie screams. "No! No, no, no! I volunteer!" she shouts, fixating her eyes on the Peacekeepers who have hold of Annie, who suddenly freeze. "I volunteer," she repeats, wrenching her arms out of the other two Peacekeepers' grasps. "Now let her go," she hisses, glaring murderously at the other Peacekeepers who slowly release Annie from their grips. Abbie hardly hears the sound of Plumb's excited voice chirping through the microphone, echoing around the perimeter of the Justice Building, as she takes quick, purposeful steps forward, and envelops Annie in a tight embrace.

"Abbie," Annie whispers through her sobs.

"Annie, listen to me. You have to go now, and find Reed," Abbie says gently, and Annie shakes her head while her tears come faster. "You can come see me after the reaping's over, but you have to go now."

"Abbie," Annie cries as Abbie pulls away. Abbie feels tears well up in her eyes, but she rapidly blinks them away while she kisses her twin on the head before pulling away from her completely.

"I'll see you in a little bit, Annie-girl," Abbie whispers, "but right now you have to go find Reed. Go now, Annie," Abbie says while frowning slightly at Annie. She takes a deep breath before turning away from her sobbing sister, and facing the Peacekeepers. She glances at the ground as all four Peacekeepers surround her, and she makes the rest of the trip to the stage with her head held high, knowing that the cameras all around her are documenting every moment of this reaping, and the other tributes will be viewing it later on.

She easily makes her way up the four stone steps, placing her hand in Plumb's offered one, and she allows the Capitol woman to lead her to the microphone. Along the way, she briefly makes eye contact with Mags and Finnick, two of the previous District 4 victors, whom will be hers and the male tribute's mentors before the Games. Abby spots the obvious sympathy and pity in their eyes, and she immediately tears her eyes away from them, appreciating the sentiment, but not wanting, nor needing the pity.

"And what is your name, my dear?" Plumb asks into the microphone, before turning it to face Abbie.

"Abbie Cresta," she speaks in an even, leveled voice which surprises herself. She barely listens as Plumb congratulates her, and claps, causing a few people in the crowd to clap as well.

"Now, the boys' turn," Plumb says before leaving Abbie's side, and walking to the opposite glass bowl. Moments later, Plumb returns to Abbie's side, and opens the slip of paper before reading off the name of the chosen boy. "Jonas Harper!"

Abbie watches as a boy who looks to be about her age slowly walk down the empty path, flanked by Peacekeepers. When he joins them on stage, Plumb asks for volunteers, and many are surprised when nobody volunteers, seeing as how volunteers are quite typical in District 4. Abbie cringes subtly when Plumb places a hand on hers and Jonas' shoulders.

"Your tributes for District 4!" Plumb exclaims happily before taking a few steps back, dropping her hands from Abbie and Jonas' shoulders. "Now, the two of you shake hands," she says, and Abbie takes a deep breath before turning to face her district partner. Jonas regards Abbie stoically before offering his hand. Abbie glances at it before taking his hand, shaking it firmly. She takes a few moments to look him over, and she notices that he's slightly muscular. She also notices how he's actually kind of handsome with his dark hair, strong jaw line, and light brown eyes. He nods to her slightly, and she nods back when they release each other's hands.

Afterwards, they're led into the Justice Building by Plumb, with one of her hands on each of their backs. Jonas is led into one room, and two Peacekeepers stand on either side of the door, before Abbie is led to the room across the hall. Abbie can only imagine that two Peacekeepers take their place on either side of the door to the room that she's in. Abbie sighs despondently before taking a seat on one of the chairs in the room, and resting her elbows on her knees, placing her head in her hands. She buries her fingers in her wavy hair and grips it slightly.

She feels a knot tie up in her chest and she takes deep breaths to attempt to calm herself. For a brief moment, she wishes her parents wouldn't have kept her siblings and herself out of the training academy. The rules in District 4 aren't the same as Districts 1 and 2. The academy for training isn't required. Most of the parents do send their children there to train for the games, but it's not terribly uncommon in District 4 for parents to keep their children from the academy, and train them on their own. A lot of the people around District 4 see the problems with the games and the Capitol, and its rules. They see the inhumanity in sending 24 children into an arena to kill each other for entertainment. Abbie, Annie, and Reed's parents were two of those people, and they raised their children to think the same.

Sure, District 4 is a Career district. And yes, they almost always join the Career pack, even the children who were raised to think the same way Abbie does.

Abbie looks up quickly when the door to the room bursts open, and before she can even register who entered the room, she's engulfed in a tight embrace. Abbie takes a deep, shaky breath and wraps her arms around the heavily trembling figure that is her twin sister.

"Five minutes," the Peacekeeper says in a dull tone before shutting the door. Reed stands back and watches his twin sisters embrace, with his arms crossed, and a pained look on his face.

"You can't go," Annie whispers, and Abbie can't fight the small smile that comes to her face when she hears her sister speak. As quickly as the small smile appeared on her face, it disappears when she hears her sister crying. Abbie closes her eyes tightly when she feels a tear escape from each of her eyes.

"It's gonna be okay, Annie," Abbie says softly, fighting hard to keep the tremble out of her voice. Abbie is surprised when Annie is the one who pulls away first. Abbie raises her eyebrows at the look in Annie's eyes.

"Win," Annie whispers, her eyes pained, yet completely serious.

"You know I'm gonna do everything I can to come home," Abbie says, and Annie's face crumples again as she lets more tears streak down her face. Abbie looks over Annie's shoulder at Reed who is watching them intently. Reed takes a few steps closer to Abbie and Annie, and reaches out, grabbing Abbie's wrist and pulling her to him. He practically crushes her in his arms when he wraps them around her. He wraps one arm around her waist, and places one hand on the side of her head, keeping it on his chest. Abbie shuts her eyes and returns the embrace tightly. After a few moments Reed pulls away, and puts his hands on her shoulders.

"Remember everything I've taught you. Everything," Reed says his eyes hard. Abbie nods quickly. "Your mentors… Take their advice. Okay?" he asks, and Abbie nods again. "Now, what did dad and I always tell you?" he asks, and Abbie takes a deep breath.

"Don't join the Careers unless it's absolutely necessary," she says, and Reed nods.

"That's right. They'll only betray you. You know that, you've seen it," Reed says, and Abbie nods. "You're strong Abbie. I know you can do this, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your brother. You come home to us. Annie and I can't make it without you," Reed says, and Abbie feels the lump in her throat grow larger when she sees the tears in her brother's eyes. He leans forward slightly and kisses her on the forehead, and she sniffs slightly. She looks to her left when she feels something being tied around her wrist. She looks at Annie who is watching her sadly before looking at her wrist and she shuts her eyes tightly when she sees Annie's white bracelet with five seashells on it. Abbie gives her twin a sad smile and embraces her again. Annie returns the embrace tightly, and both girls glance at their brother when he joins the hug, resting his cheek on top of Abbie's head.

What feels like seconds later, the door is pushed open again, and a Peacekeeper stands in the doorway.

"Times up," he says, and Annie tightens her hold on Abbie. Reed pulls away after kissing Abbie's head.

"See you soon, Abs," Reed says, before grabbing Annie's arms, beginning to pry her off of Abbie. Annie begins to sob while she fights Reed's hold.

"You keep talking Annie. I wanna hear you talking like normal when I get home, okay?" Abbie asks, and Annie nods as her sobs continue. Annie eventually unwillingly relinquishes her hold on Abbie, and is practically carried out of the room by Reed. The Peacekeeper shuts the door behind them before either of them have the chance to look back at their sister. Abbie presses the heels of her hands against her tightly shut eyes, and she leans against the wall. It takes every bit of will power she possesses to not collapse into tears in that very moment.

Minutes later, which register as mere seconds in Abbie's mind, the door is pushed open once more, and Abbie looks up at the two Peacekeepers that stand in the doorway.

"Time to go," one of them says, gruffly, and Abbie sighs before pushing herself off the wall. The Peacekeepers allow her to walk out the door, and they follow, a few paces behind her. Abbie glances over her shoulder when she hears another door shut, and she sees Jonas' tall form walking behind her with Peacekeepers behind him. Abbie's Peacekeepers direct her to the side door of the Justice Building where she and Jonas are greeted by Plumb who's smiling happily at them.

Abbie frowns when Plumb cheerily places a hand on her back, and gestures for Jonas to come forward with a wave of her fingers on her other hand. When Jonas steps away from his Peacekeepers, Plumb places her other hand on his back, and two Peacekeepers step around them and push the doors open. Plumb leads Abbie and Jonas out the door and down the long path that leads to a black car. Plumb gestures for Abbie to enter the car first, followed by herself, and then Jonas. As they ride to the train, Plumb talks excitedly about the train, and the 'wonderful Capitol', but Abbie hardly pays any attention. Her mind is firmly set on her brother and sister, and she's strongly fighting the urge to cry.

They arrive at the train in no time, and Abbie is slightly surprised by the amount of reporters there, shouting questions, cheering, and shoving cameras in their faces. Plumb leads them onto the train, and Abbie lets out a soft breath when the doors slide shut behind them.

Plumb leads them through District 4's section of the train, and shows them which bedrooms they'll have. She tells them that they'll have time to explore and investigate after they eat dinner, which Abbie dreads, considering all she feels like doing is throwing up due to nerves. Plumb leads them back to the main part of their section, to a table loaded with many types of food. Jonas and Abbie sit down next to each other, and Plumb sits at the end of the table. She watches from the corner of her eye as Plumb places portions of food on her plate, and Jonas does the same.

One of the doors slides open, capturing the attention of everybody in the room, and Plumb stands and happily greets the two new occupants of the room, Finnick and Mags. The two previous victors take the seats across from Abbie and Jonas, Mags across from Jonas, and Finnick across from Abbie. Abbie shifts uncomfortably under their calculating gazes, while Jonas maintains semi-arrogant eye contact.

"Jonas," Finnick says, pointing at Jonas, and Jonas nods, "and, Abbie?" he questions, and Abbie nods. "Alright, what do the two of you do back in four?" he asks, cutting right to the chase.

"Factory work," Jonas says, and the attention turns to Abbie.

"I work on the fishing boats," she says.

"No kidding?" Finnick asks with his eyebrows raised. It's no secret that females don't typically get work on the fishing boats, and he has to admit that he's mildly impressed. Abbie nods in confirmation, and Finnick watches her thoughtfully.

"Well, what can you both do?" Mags asks, her eyes glancing between Jonas and Abbie, as if she's trying to make a decision.

"I'm best with a sword and a spear," Jonas states before taking a bite of his food, and Mags nods before looking at Abbie with a kind, questioning gaze.

"I'm good with a knife, alright with a spear, but I'm best with hand to hand combat," Abbie says, running a hand through her wavy hair.

"Did both of you train in the academy?" Finnick asks.

"Yes." "No," Jonas and Abbie both answer at the same time, and Finnick and Mags share a look.

"And you got your training from…?" Finnick trails off, looking at Abbie.

"My father and my brother," she answers, and he nods.

"Good enough," he says, leaning back in his seat while looking between Jonas and Abbie. There are a few minutes of silence as everybody eats, except for Abbie who had eventually placed food on her plate, but simply had been pushing it around with her fork, too preoccupied with thoughts of never seeing her sister again to eat anything.

"You should really eat something, honey," Mags' kind voice rings out, and Abbie glances up and finds her looking at her. She swallows slightly and straightens up a bit in her seat before clearing her throat.

"I'm uh… Not really hungry right now, but thank you," Abbie says politely, the manners her mother drilled into hers and Annie's head coming out with a vengeance. Mags raises her eyebrows slightly before smiling kindly at Abbie, not used to being spoken to so politely by the tributes. "Actually, can I be excused?" she asks, looking between Finnick, Mags, and Plumb. Plumb is positively beaming at the use of Abbie's manners.

"Of course, dear," Plumb answers, and Abbie nods to her before standing from the table and making her way down the corridor of the train until she reaches her bedroom. She pushes the door open, and softly shuts it behind her. Abbie leans heavily on the sturdy door, and takes a few deep breaths before sliding down the door until she's sitting on the floor. Her heavy breathing continues, and she grips her hair, trying to get herself under control.

After a few minutes her breathing calms and her body relaxes slightly. She slowly rises to her feet and walks to the small, circular window that's in her bedroom, and she stares out it at the quickly passing scenery outside. Abbie doesn't even realize how long she'd been standing at the window, lost in thought, until there's a series of soft knocks at the door.

"Come in," Abbie says, turning her head to look at the door. She smiles politely when Plumb pushes the door open, smiling at the young girl.

"The reapings are about to begin. Would you care to join us?" she asks, and Abbie shrugs slightly.

"Sure," she says, walking out the door with Plumb, and the Capitol escort leads Abbie down the narrow corridor to the main part of the train where Jonas, Mags, and Finnick all sit on the provided pieces of furniture in front of a large television. Abbie takes a seat at the end of the couch, letting her body sink into the soft cushions. Plumb takes a seat next to her and turns the television on. The screen immediately shows Clauidus Templesmith, and Caesar Flickerman. Claudius looks the same as he does every year, while Caesar's ever changing hair and eyebrows are a bright yellow color.

The two men do the normal routine of introducing themselves, and spend a few minutes talking about the Hunger Games themselves, before announcing the beginning of the recap of the reapings. As always, they show District One first. Physically, the District One tributes aren't exactly impressive, but Abbie knows that what they lack physically, they probably more than make up for in skill.

The tributes for District Two, on the other hand, are the epitome of intimidating. The girl has a larger build than any female she'd ever seen in District Four, and the boy is large, bulky, and he wears an arrogant smirk on his face as he stares straight into the cameras. Both are volunteers, which makes Abbie even more nervous than before. She clears any negative thoughts from her mind, knowing that if she wants to fulfill her promise to Annie, there's no time to doubt herself.

The tributes from District Three aren't anywhere near as intimidating than the tributes from two and one, but they're slightly more impressive than they had been during their previous years.

Finally, they make it to the reapings for District Four. Abbie bites the inside of her cheek when Annie's name is called, and she cringes at her horrifying, terrified screams. Abbie watches as the cameras actually focus on the scene, and she sees herself comforting her sister, and calming her slightly. She watches as she's pulled away by the Peacekeepers, and as another two Peacekeepers literally drag Annie down the isle to the stage. Abbie watches herself volunteer, and take her place on the stage, leaving her sobbing twin sister watching after her.

"Has she always been like that?" Jonas asks from the other end of the couch, looking past Plumb and looking at Abbie. Abbie slowly tears her eyes away from the television and looks at Jonas, offense and anger bubbling up in the pit of her stomach.

"Like what?" Abbie snaps, defensively, and Jonas' eyebrows rise slightly.

"I just mean… I've seen you and her around. At the market and stuff… She's always so quiet, you know? The reaping is the only time I've ever heard any sound come out of her. Has she always been like that?" Jonas asks, and Abbie relaxes slightly before looking away from him. Abbie can literally feel the eyes of everybody in the room on her, waiting for her answer.

"No… No she hasn't always been like that," she finally answers with a sigh, before letting her eyes focus back on the screen. The others all follow her lead after realizing that she wasn't going to go any farther into her explanation.

**-ADITO-**

**A/N: **This may not be the best stopping point, but I really didn't want to go any farther than this for this chapter. I hope you all liked this chapter, and I apologize for the wait, but I have two other stories that I'm working on. I promise that I am in no way losing interest in this story, especially since I just love Finnick so much.

**Outfits on Polyvore! Link on profile! Check them out!**

**Questions?**

**Comments?**

**Suggestions?**

**Leave them in a review!**


End file.
